Ventilated building-block.



H. R. STRAIGHT.

VENTILATEDBUILDING BLOCK.

APPLICATION FILED AR. 31.19l5

Patented'Nov. 7, 1916.

HALVER RUFUS STRAIGHT, OF ADEL, IOWA.

VENTILATED BUILDING-BLOCK.

Application filed March 31, 1915.

of Iowa, have invented a certain new and useful Ventilated Building-Block, of which the following is a specification.

The object of my invention is to provide a ventilated building block or tile especially designed to be made of vitrified clay or concrete, and capable of being manufactured by the use of ordinary machinery provided with suitable dies, and also a means for cutting or forming openings in the side walls of the finished product.

A further object is to provide a building blockor tile of this class in which either a circular or a straight wall may be readily, quickly and easily constructed by unskilled workmen in such a manner as to present smooth, regular surfaces both on the inte rior and exterior of the wall, and also to provide a building blocker tile of this class in which perfect ventilation is provided through the wall, and which will exclude rain and snow from the outside of the wall from passing through the wall, and also to prevent grain from the interior of the wall from passing out through the wall.

My invention consists in certain details, in the construction, combination and arrangement of the various parts of the device, whereby the objects contemplated are attained, as hereinafter more fully set forth, pointed out in my claims and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 shows a perspective view of a building block or tile embodying my invention. Fig. 2 shows a'sectional perspective View of a part of a circular wall constructed of my improved building blocks or tiles.

Referring to the accompanying drawings it will be seen that the completed building block or tile, as illustrated in Fig. 1, comprises two straight vertical side walls 10, each being provided with a row of perforations 11. The bottom of the block or tile is provided at its side edges with short horizontal surfaces 12, and between these parts 12 the block or tile is arched upwardly at 13.

The top of the block-or tile is provided with two flat surfaces 14:, and an upwardly arched central portion 15, the curvature of this upwardly arched central portion being of somewhat less diameter than the curvature of the arched portion 13; Formed in- Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 7', 191.6.

Serial No. 18,400.

tegral with the upper part of the arched portion 13 is a vertical partition 16, extended upward to a point spaced apart from the top of the block. The arrangement of the openings 11 and the bottom member of the block or tile is such that the top surface 17 of said bottom part inclines downwardly from the partition 16 toward the bottoms of the openings 11, so that if any rain or snow should enter through the openings 11, it will at once drain out through said openings, and if the space between the partition 16 and the outer side of the block or tile should become filled with snow, then when the snow ably first provide a concrete base 18 or a starting tile having-its top arched or curved to fit the bottom of one of my improved building blocks or tiles. .hen a layer of my improved blocks or tiles is placed on said base, and its top surface is covered with a layer of mortar o1 cement 19. In cases where it is desirable to use reinforcing rods or wires they are laid in the layer of mortar or cement adjacent to the outer surface of the arched central portion 15. These reinforcing wires or rods are indicated in Fig. 2 by the reference numeral 20. Then when the second layer of blocks or tiles is to be placed in position, the operator need not be particularly careful about laying the wall in a vertical position, because the arched central portions of the block or tile will cause them to center themselves upon the row of blocks or tiles below them, and all that the operator need do is to be careful to press each individual block or tile downwardly to the same extent as the others.

It will be noted that on account of the smaller curvature of the arched top than that of the arched bottom, the block or tile may be made with straight sides and yet a circular wall may be readily built, as indicated in Fig. 2.

In such cases when the upper layer of blocks or tile is pressed downwardly against the mortar cement, it will simply make the layer of mortar or cement thinner at the ends than at the central portion thereof.

It is obvious that by the use of my improved ventilated building blocks, either straight or circular walls may be readily and easily laid by unskilled workmen, and

the layers of block or tile may be easily placed in vertical alinement.

It is obvious further that my improved block or tile may be readily and easily manufactured on an ordinary tile machine by the use of suitably shaped dies and without hand work. After the blocks or tiles have thus been made, and before they are vitrified, the openings 11 are cut in the sides of the blocks or tiles by suitable machinery.

It is obvious that the central partition 16 will not interfere with the circulation of air through the wall. in either direction, and will positively prevent rain or snow from passing through the wall, and furthermore, the block or tile is so constructed that if any rain or snow should pass through the outer openings 11, it will be prevented from reaching the interior of the building on account of the upright partition 16, and will drain out through the outer openings 11.

Furthermore in thisconnection, if any rain or snow should go through the spaces between the ends of two blocks in the wall, it will simply flow downvmrdly until it strikes the center of the block or tile below it and then be delivered outwardly and downwardly either by the layer of mortar or cement or by the top of the lower block or tile.

I claim as my invention:

1. In an improved building block or tile formed hollow and comprising sides, top and bottom, and also comprising an upright partition on the interior of the block or tile extending from the bottom to a point spaced apart from the top, the said sides being provided with ventilating openings.

2. In an improved building block or tile formed hollow and comprising sides, top and bottom, the upper surface of the bottom being inclined from its longitudinal center downwardly and toward both sides of the block or tile, an upright partition at the longitudinal center of the bottom extending upwardly to a point spaced apart from the top, there being ventilating openings formed in the sides.

3. In an improved building block or tile formed hollow and comprising sides, top and bottom, the upper surface of the bottom being inclined from its longitudinal center downwardly and toward both sides of the block or tile, an upright partition at the longitudinal center of the bottom extending upwardly to a point spaced apart from the top, there being ventilating openings formed in the sides, the lower portions of said ventilating openings being in a plane as low as the adjacent portions of the top surface of the bottom of the blocks or tiles. -'l-. In an improved building block or tile formed hollow and comprising upright sides, a top and a bottom, the upright sides being. provided with ventilating openings, the top being arched upwardly at its longitudinal central portion, the bottom also being arched upwardly at its longitudinal central portion, the curvature of the arched central portion of the top being somewhat less than the curvature of the arched cen tral portion of the bottom, and an upright partition on the central portion of the bot tom extending upwardly to a point spaced apart from the top. 7

3. In an improved building block formed hollow and comprising sides, top and bottom, the said sides being provided with ventilating openings extending from the top surface of the bottom member to a point slightly below the top of said side, the bottom member being provided with a central longitudinal partition extending upwardly to a point spaced apart from the top member and above the top of said ventilating openings.

HALVER RUFUS STRAIGHT.

lVitnesses p E. W. DINGWELL, CHAS. F. CLARKE.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

